


Blind Devotion

by sweaters_or_pie



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: 104th Training Corps - Freeform, Annoyed Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Cadet reader, Captain Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), F/M, Special training
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-03-24
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:06:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23220685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweaters_or_pie/pseuds/sweaters_or_pie
Summary: You were nobody of any particular consequence. You came from a small town within Wall Rose. Your ranking was nothing to scoff at, but you never had a chance of making top ten. There was nothing remarkable about you at all. It was no wonder Captain Levi Ackerman thought your devotion to him was completely blind. True, he was everything you aspired to be; strong, courageous, intelligent. But you saw his faults as well, and they made him even more incredible in your eyes. Which is why you constantly annoyed him with praise and questions.
Relationships: Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 34





	1. Chapter 1

Stories of Levi Ackerman had never failed to impress you. When you enlisted, meeting him was certainly one of the things that you looked forward to most. You wanted to see for yourself if all the stories were true.

Of course, cadets rarely if ever got to see such high ranking officers, let alone speak with them. But Captain Levi was just one of many people you hoped to learn from, so it could wait (assuming you survived training).

You were lucky enough to begin your training learning from the former Commander of the Survey Corps, Keith Shadis. He was incredibly tough on all of you, but you knew that entering into the Scout Regiment would be much tougher, and you were grateful that he was doing his best to prepare you for that. It was obvious that not all of the cadets felt that way, though, especially those gunning for the relative comfort of the Military Police.

The first time that you ever saw Levi, he had come, along with a few other officers, to conduct a special training program for some of the most advanced cadets. You were not invited to participate. It seemed like a cruel joke to you that people like Annie and Jean, who had no intention of actually risking their lives on the front lines, got to train with Captain Levi and you didn’t. Sure, they were exceptional, but didn’t the fact that you needed it more also mean that you should get to go?

At least you got to see Captain Levi in person, even if it wasn’t up close. He had such an air of power about him, even more so than the other officers he’d come with. Humanity’s Strongest, indeed. When they left again, you were disappointed that you didn’t even have the chance to ask any questions while he, Hange, and Mike were at the training camp.

You forced yourself to work even harder, in the hopes that they would come back eventually, and you _would_ be able to train with them that time.

After sucking up your pride, you approached some of the top ten who were sharing a table at lunch one day. They all seemed nice enough, but you mostly kept to yourself as most of the cadets seemed to already know each other or at least formed tight groups very quickly. “Would any of you mind helping me out with training sometime?” you asked awkwardly.

”Sure,” Eren Jaeger was the first to reply. “I’m more than happy to help out anyone who wants to kill Titans.”

Wherever Eren went, Mikasa Ackerman was sure to follow. “I’ll help too.” You had wondered to yourself whether she was related to Levi, especially with how talented they both were, but you were too nervous to ask.

Figuring that two of the best cadets in the one hundred and fourth training corps would be enough to help you, everyone else went back to eating. “Thank you,” you said to Eren and Mikasa. “I really appreciate it. Both of you are so impressive. I’d love to be able to go to the advanced training session next time, too, so I can learn even more.”

They seemed happy with that response, especially Eren. The three of you arranged to meet the next afternoon to work on your skills with the ODM gear. They suggested that you ask Armin Arlet to work with you on strategy as well, which was a great idea. You thanked them again before you all headed off to the regularly scheduled training exercises for the day.

* * *

Eren, Mikasa, and Armin were a big help. Slowly but surely over the next few months, your rank climbed higher. You’d been hovering just above the middle of the group before, and you still weren’t top ten material, but you only needed to crack the top twenty five to be allowed into the next advanced training session.

When it was announced that Levi, Hange, and Mike would be coming back in another month’s time, you were at number twenty seven. After begging your classmates for more help, Jean Kirsten, Marco Bott, and Sasha Blouse agreed to help as well so that you could pick up another two ranks quickly enough.

With the diverse skills that everyone helped you improve, you managed to claw your way to number twenty five just in time. The training session was less than a week away, and you couldn’t be more excited. You’d finally get to pick the brains of some of the most amazing fighters the military had ever seen. Captain Levi included. You spent the next several days buzzing with excitement, and barely got a wink of sleep the night before.

You were going to meet Levi Ackerman.


	2. Chapter 2

You were up bright and early the day of the second advanced training session. You’d heard talk of how averse Captain Levi was to dirt and disorder of any kind, so you wanted to make sure that both you and your uniform were spotless.

After a shower and a hurried breakfast, you went to the training grounds to warm up your body. You were the first one there. From other talk surrounding the captain, you didn’t want to give him any reason at all to criticise you. The rest of the trainees started to gather on the field as well while you stretched, chattering nervously. The ranks had shifted a bit amongst the others since the last session, but the only change overall was that you had replaced the former number twenty five.

Hange, Mike, and Captain Levi strode up right on time. You saluted along with everyone else. Levi’s grey eyes scanned over the group as he walked along the front row, which you had made sure to be in, eager as you were. “You,” he said, stopping in front of you with a curt nod in your direction. “You’re new. What’s your name, Cadet?”

You told him. It took everything you had not to wither under his intense stare.

”I suppose you’re trying to work your way into the Military Police, hm?” Levi’s disdain for you was obvious.

You shook your head. “No, Sir. It’s always been my goal to join the Scouts.”

He just stared at you incredulously for another moment. Thankfully, Hange came to your rescue. “That’s enough, Shorty. Let’s get started.”

The plan for the day was that the three officers would each show you a new move, which you would then practice for awhile before moving on to the next. Three new, advanced moves. This was absolutely worth the months of spending all your spare time training.

Mike was up first. He had Hange leave her blades on the ground and use her ODM gear to pretend to be a titan’s hand, and he demonstrated a move used to dodge an attack while still landing a hit. He twisted around Hange and sliced the air behind her, what would have been the Titan’s forearm.

After demonstrating the move a couple of times, the cadets paired off to take turns being the soldier and the titan’s hand. You were paired with Sasha, who wasted no time in bringing up Levi.

”It looked like he was trying to push you down a rank with his eyes so you’d have to leave!” She said while dodging your mock Titan attack.

You couldn’t agree more. “He should just stare at the Titans like that. It would send them running.” You both laughed, before getting snapped at by Levi to shut up and concentrate. The rest of the exercise was done in silence.

Hange was next. She showed how to incapacitate a Titan _without_ killing them, so that they could be brought in for research. By chopping off their limbs at weak spots just below the joints, they could be immobilised long enough to get a net wrapped around them.

Wooden training dummies were then set up so that you could practice aiming for the correct spots. You got the hang of that one pretty quickly. It only took you a few tries for you to hit the weak points dead on, and Hange nodded at you approvingly.

Finally, it was Levi’s turn. He announced that he was going to teach you a method for killing a Titan with a single move. It involved distracting the beast, then hooking into it with ODM gear and wrapping around to the nape of its neck as quickly as possible, so that it didn’t have a chance to react. Use both blades at once, and it would all be over.

He asked the group for ideas of how to distract a Titan. He got a few responses such as using a smoke signal or sacrificing a horse before he allowed you to answer. “You could use yourself as bait.”

”Elaborate.”

”If you pretended to be injured or dead, it would think that you were easy prey. Then it would get close enough to you, and might let its guard down as well.”

Levi almost seemed impressed at your ingenuity. But he was quick to put that little idea to bed. “A good plan. If your goal is to get yourself eaten.” You shrunk back into yourself, embarrassed. “If you’re not a complete amateur with the ODM gear, you won’t need to be close to the Titan. But, I suppose it could be used as a last resort, if you had nothing else at your disposal.”

Even the slight approval from Levi had you glowing again.

He showed the best places to hook onto a Titan in order to swing around to its nape. With the training dummies that were still up from Hange’s exercise, you were sent off to practice.

”Are you incapable of even following simple instructions?” Levi asked, stopping next to you. “I said to put one hook into the Titan’s neck and the other into its _leg_. If there’s nothing else around to use, you’ll need the ability to move vertically as well as horizontally to dodge attacks. You can hook the other into its neck once you’re behind it for the speed.”

You felt your face heat up. Clearly, Levi had it out for you for some reason. You tried not to let it faze you too much. “I’m sorry, Captain. I was just trying to-“

”I don’t care what you were trying to do. Just because we aren’t on the battlefield, that doesn’t mean you don’t need to follow orders. You’re sure to get yourself killed that way.”

He was right. You could try adapting the move on your own time, _after_ actually learning it. You hung your head, ashamed of getting so ahead of yourself. “Yes, Sir.”

Levi moved on to critique other trainees. You did your best to do the move exactly as he’d done it.

After a long day, you were released for dinner. The officers’ time was incredibly valuable, so you hadn’t broken for lunch. But despite how hungry you were, you felt the need to stay and talk to Levi.

You waited until all of the other cadets had left the field to approach Levi with your hands behind your back. “Permission to speak, Sir?” You asked as he finished discussing the day’s events with Hange and Mike.

He turned towards you, sizing you up. “Granted.”

”I wanted to apologise again for my behaviour. I was so eager to learn from someone as incredible as you that I didn’t follow your instructions.” Hopefully he would be softened a bit by your clear admiration for him.

He wasn’t. “Flattery will get you nowhere with me.”

Still, you pressed on, determined. “Can I ask you a few questions?”

Levi nodded slowly.

”You never told us what method you would use to distract a Titan.”

”That isn’t a question,” he replied with a smirk.

Gritting your teeth, you rephrased. “What method would you use to distract a Titan?”

”I suppose that if I were alone, I’d shoot a flare into the thing’s face.” Levi regarded you coldly. “But what none of you brats thought of is that as long as at least one other member of your squad is still alive, it would be more efficient for one of you to distract the Titan while the other goes in for the kill.”

It seemed so obvious now that he'd pointed it out. ”Of course. I can’t believe none of us bothered to think about teamwork.”

”It is a disgrace,” Levi agreed.

”Well. I also wanted to ask, the first time you saw a Titan... were you afraid?”

”I’m afraid every time I see a Titan. It’s one of the reasons why I haven’t been eaten yet.” Yet. So he planned on dying that way, and you could see in his eyes that he was telling the truth. “That’s enough for today. You’re dismissed.”

You nodded and left the training field. As you headed inside, towards dinner and your new friends, the sad look in Levi’s eyes as he prophesied his own death haunted you.


	3. Chapter 3

The closer you got to graduation, the more the ranks of the training corps thinned out. Therefore, the third and final advanced training session, which was to take place only three months before you’d all have to choose your regiments, would only be for the top fifteen cadets.

Fortunately for the military but unfortunately for you, only three people who ranked above you were among those who had quit.

Your friends were doing the best they could, but still being in training themselves, they were nearing the end of what they could teach you.

With impeccable timing, just as you were beginning to despair, you happened to spot Levi on a visit to the training camp. You practically ran up to him and saluted. “Captain Levi, Sir?”

”Make it quick. I’ve got a meeting with Shadis.” Levi inclined his head towards you.

”If it isn’t too much trouble, I wanted to ask, if you’ve got any spare time-“

Levi was quickly annoyed with all your hedging. “Get to the point.”

”I’d like some help, Sir. I want to make sure that I’ll be of use to the Survey Corps when I graduate.” You jutted out your chin a bit, hoping to appear more fierce.

”Well, you _could_ use the extra training.” Even in agreeing to help, he had to insult you. “I suppose it would be a service to humanity, if you really intend on joining the Scouts.”

You nodded. Let him say what he liked, if that meant you got to train with him.

”Alright. I’ll send for you when I’ve got some time. Baldy is waiting for me.” With that, he turned and left.

At dinner that evening, you couldn’t wait to tell your friends the news. They could tell how giddy you were, and before you could even say anything, Eren asked “What has you so excited?”

”I got Levi to agree to giving me some extra training.”

Everyone seemed impressed, if also a bit worried for your wellbeing. “How did you manage that?” Sasha asked. “I’d be way too scared to ask him.”

You shrugged. “I _was_ scared. And it didn’t come without a few insults, but it’s worth it.”

“What did you say to him?”

They seemed to think that there must be something else going on. “I just told him that I want to be of use to the Scouts,” you replied, trying to assuage their fears a bit.

It seemed to work to some extent. Improving the Scout Regiment seemed about as good a reason as anyone could think of for Captain Levi to humour you. Although you could tell that your friends were still worried, they changed the topic. You appreciated their support. They all knew how important it was to you that you become a good soldier, and that you get to go to the advanced training sessions. You were lucky to have them as friends.

Hopefully their trust in your decision wouldn’t prove to be misplaced.

* * *

One morning, you were awoken by knock on the door of your quarters. You sat up with a groan, mumbling “I got it,” to your roommates while rubbing your eyes.

When you crossed the room to the door a moment later, there was a cadet there who you didn’t know well, with a letter. It was addressed to you. You thanked her and walked back over to your bunk, sitting down to open the letter.

  
Meet me at 0600 hours. Don’t be late.

Captain Levi

Your first one-on-one training session. You sprang back up, grabbing your uniform (which unfortunately you hadn’t had time to clean) to change. It was already five in the morning, and you wanted to eat and get there early.

The dining hall was completely empty. No sign of Levi. It was just starting to get light as you walked out to the training grounds around fifteen minutes before scheduled.

As before, Levi was exactly on time. “First off, I want to assess where you’re at with all skills. We’ll start with hand-to-hand combat.” He rolled up his sleeves.

You mirrored him hesitantly. It seemed that you’d be starting off with an immediate beating. And you couldn’t imagine Levi’s reaction if you actually managed to land a hit on him.

”Now, try to hit me.”

After taking a second to steel yourself, you came at him with a rather obvious punch to the face. You were flat on your back before you knew it. Levi didn’t even let you catch your breath, just demanded “Again.”

This time, you pretended to try the same move, but ducked under his arms when Levi went to grab you. You felt a flash of victory, before he spun around and took you down anyway.

After many failed attempts and demands that you try again, you finally connected a punch to Levi’s stomach. With how sore your entire body was and how unaffected he seemed to be, you almost would have thought he let you hit him if you didn’t know better.

As if he could read your mind, Levi said “You may be worse off now physically than when we began, but you’ve figured out some of my idiosyncrasies. You’re observant. Use that to your advantage.”

That one little comment made all the bruises you could sense forming completely worth it.

Next, Levi had you retrieve your ODM gear and brought you out to the forrest. It was probably your best skill. Since you enjoyed the feeling of flying through the air so much, you’d ended up spending more time practicing that than anything else.

”Not too bad,” Levi told you after watching you for a bit. “Let me show you a few tricks that might help.” You watched in awe as he demonstrated some very complicated moves that he pulled off with grace and ease.

It was truly amazing to behold. You almost forgot to watch how he did it. “I want you to practice those moves before the next time we meet. Now, we’re going to test your skills with the blades.” He led you over to a tree that was marked with an X. “Try and get as close to the X as you can without actually hitting the tree.”

You lined up and tried your best, but still ended up with your blade lodged in the wood.

”Practice that too. By the time we’re finished, you’ll be able to stop your blade within an inch of your mark, and you’ll be confident enough in your abilities to use my neck as the target.” You blanched. Aim your blades at the Captain’s neck? As if you could ever be that confident.

”Captain Levi, I don’t think I can-“

He cut you off again. “No arguing, Cadet. You asked for my help, and you’ll do as I say.”

You nodded obediently. At the very least, you could try.

”That’s enough for today. I’ve got better things to do. If you haven’t improved by the next time I send for you, this won’t happen again. Understand?”

”Yes, Sir.” You saluted.

Levi dismissed you and left. It was still early, and you had an entire day of your regularly scheduled training ahead of you. You massaged your sore muscles as you made your way back to the training grounds to meet the rest of the cadets arriving from breakfast, tired but happy.


End file.
